3.63 Lakh Schools Benefit Through SSA: HRD Minister

Union HRD Minister Prakash Javadekar today announced that Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan(SSA), a central government initiative to help drop out and migrant children get back to study has been benefitting 2.04 lakh primary and 1.59 lakh upper primary schools across the country to ensure universal access.

During Question Hour in Lokh Sabha, the Minister jotted out the efforts taken by SSA amidst noisy protests by the opposition over the demonetisation issue. Universal enrollment is the first goal of SSA and all efforts are being made to bring all children, including girls, to school, he said.

Opening of schools in the neighbourhood for girl children to get easy access, appointment of additional teachers, including women teachers, free textbooks, free uniforms, separate toilets for girls, teachers sensitisation programmes to promote girls participation, gender-sensitive teaching-learning materials, including textbooks are some of the strategies of SSA that he mentioned.

In places where female rural literacy is low, Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalays have been opened in educationally backward blocks. Residential upper primary schools for girls from SC/ST/OBC/Muslim and BPL families are also provided in these areas.

The minister said under the mid-day meal scheme, central financial assistance is being provided to all states and UTs for implementation of the scheme.

Under the scheme, all states and UTs were providing mid-day meals to children, including adolescent girls studying in class-I to VIII of government, government aided, special training centres and madrasas and Maqtabs under the SSA.